Estimating how long your laptop s battery will last can be confusing and irritating. There are a whole lot of battery monitoring programs out there which do it for you, but only a few are accurate and worth using. Check out these applications and see how big a difference they will make.
BatteryBar is perhaps the most widely used and popular application there is to monitor your laptop battery level. It is a very simple application and it s something every portable notebook/netbook user should install. BatteryBar works from the taskbar and shows either of these two states:
You may also click on the meter to change it show battery level in percentage, instead of estimated time. Detailed information about the state of the battery can be obtained by hovering your mouse pointer over the meter.
Having it installed in the taskbar will let you have a look at the status of your battery constantly all the time.
There is also a paid upgrade available that will give you custom themes, critical notifications and lets you change the Windows Power Scheme. The paid version comes at a one-time price of $10.
Download Battery Bar
A handy app that helps you extend battery life by disabling Aero effects. Apparently, the application can save your battery up to 70%.
You can assign a condition to disable cool Aero effects when the battery level goes below a certain mark.
Similar conditions can also be set to change Windows power schemes, or to turn Aero effects when the laptop is on AC power.
Letting it run on start up ensures that your battery is saved to a certain extent. It works on all versions of Windows Vista and Windows Home Premium that have support for Aero.
Download Vista Battery Saver
A simple app with a simple purpose. Plays a sound when the battery level reaches a certain mark. By default it is assigned to 5%, but you may change it to any number you want.
Another much welcome feature is that the app will also play a sound when the battery finishes charging and is at 100%. You can also customize the repeat time for the sound and also the sound file itself.
Pretty handy when you are playing a movie or a game and you can t notice when the battery is about to go dry.
Download Battery Alarm
Personally, this is one of my favourite apps. Power Meter Plus is a small bar which you can configure to be on your screen. For an app which is just 135Kb big, it is extremely innovative and very useful.
When the app is running, a meter is displayed on your screen. It becomes more prominent when your laptop battery level goes down and is completely transparent when it has near full charge.
The more you use it, the more you see how useful it is. It automatically changes its position to make sure that doesn t bother you or occupy the part of the screen you are using.
Download Power Meter Plus
Lets you turn off your LCD by opening an app. Useful when your laptop needs to be used for music playback or some dormant task that doesn t require your display to be turned on. Completely turns off your laptop s display even when the lid is open and can be a great way to save battery.
You no longer have to worry about your notebook turning off when you leave for class/work after starting a download.
Download Turn Off LCD
Another small utility that does a lot more than managing your battery. It automatically turns off your display when you lock your system. It also pauses all videos, mutes your system sounds automatically to further conserve your battery.
Used regularly, it can make a significant difference and make your battery last longer. The best part is that, if you forget to log off from your IM client, an Away message will be set automatically. Just run the app in the background and let it run.
When you come back, everything will be restored.
Download Monitor ES
I d say you can install all these apps. It doesn t hurt. Please try using them and post your opinion in the comments section.
Related Topics :
